


Her Guy

by bookworm03



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Loud Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 07:43:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6320659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm03/pseuds/bookworm03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s not sure what this bubbling, churning, hot liquid in the pit of his stomach is or why it’s getting more noticeable with every sip of his beer, but it feels an awful lot like jealousy for no reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her Guy

**Author's Note:**

> I was talking to the beautiful ashisfriendly yesterday and this general concept was discussed and I told her I would write it, because apparently I am easy. 
> 
> College AU. I hope you guys enjoy! If you have a minute, leave a comment/kudos and make my night <3.

Ben Wyatt is not a jealous person.

He’s not, honestly, and he’s not sure what this bubbling, churning, hot liquid in the pit of his stomach is or why it’s getting more noticeable with every sip of his beer, but it feels an awful lot like jealousy for no reason. His shoulders are tight, his vision is blurring, and instead of chilling him out every new bottle of Miller Lite just pushes him closer and closer to the edge.

In the middle of the bar, Leslie’s leaning into Simon who looks surprisingly big next to her tiny frame. She’s in fitted jeans and a tank top that he knows she borrowed from Ann and their bodies are pressed flush together, her neck craned back so she can grin at her new boyfriend as they sway to the music.

His hand moves to her butt, fingers pressing as he nuzzles his nose into her neck. She laughs loudly, so loudly the whole bar hears her, and the twist in his gut is back.

“They seem to be getting along phenomenally well, don’t they?” Chris cheerfully interjects. Ben takes another sip of beer to squash the growl forming in the base of his throat. He doesn’t know what this is. He’s known plenty of Leslie’s boyfriends - they’d been friends since childhood - and he’s never felt like this before.

When Ben looks up again they’re full out kissing around smiles and easy touches, stumbling into each other.

Ben orders another beer.

It’s not helping quell the urge to rip his roommate’s throat out, but it will at least impede his dexterity.

*****

He hears the squeaking of the mattress just as he’s halfway to sleep. He jolts awake and in his daze it takes a few seconds to process what he’s actually bearing witness to.

The soft moan, her soft moan, hits him harder than a Mack Truck.

It’s light and airy, barely audible through the wall, but he knows her voice. Through all the grunting and groaning that follows, all he hears is her and all he can imagine is Leslie, flat on her back getting...ugh.

Actually, no, she’d be on top. Leslie would be the type of partner who liked to control everything in the bedroom…

She shouldn’t, if he’s being honest; she should be with someone confident enough and assertive enough to take her out of her head and make everything fall away that isn’t them. She should be with someone who says “I’ve got you” and she believes them and trusts them not to leave her hanging.

Simon is not that guy. He’s been Ben’s friend since freshman year (they lived in the same dorm) and he’s decent enough, Ben supposes, but he’s not that guy. He’s not _her_ guy.

Ben’s more than had enough after a few minutes of listening to it, picturing it, hearing her muffled words and even a quiet, breathy giggle that would make his own dick twitch in any other circumstance. He forces himself out of bed and into the kitchen, pours a glass of water and settles in front of the TV to watch sports highlights or infomercials. Instead of paying attention to how the Pacers lost again he thinks about Leslie.

He thinks about that time when he she sat beside him at lunch in the fourth grade his first day at a new school after the transfer from Minnesota. His dad had taken him and Henry. Steph, so little at the time, had stayed with their mother in Partridge. He’d missed his baby sister and he was sad and Leslie had sat beside him and tried to cheer him up.

He thinks about how she was always nice to him even if they never played together at recess. He thinks about how all of that changed after her dad died. He found her sitting outside one morning, refusing to line up with the bell, a blank, almost wistful expression on her face as she stared vacantly ahead. He’s pretty sure that day, when he took her by the arm and guided her gently towards the classroom without saying a word, that was the day they became friends.

He thinks about school dances, truth or dare and spin the bottle. He thinks about that one time he’d been made to kiss Cindy Miller at their first boy-girl party and Leslie had looked annoyed.

He thinks of all the guys she’s dated - casually and seriously - and how no one has ever gotten under his skin like this before. He’s not sure what it is about Simon, but the fact that they’d met through him and now he shared a wall and...

He’s never had to listen to _that_ before.

Ben’s groggy and cranky when he hears Simon’s door open and Leslie strolls out in pajama pants (that are hers) and a Green Lantern t-shirt (that’s Simon’s). She putters around in the kitchen, pouring some water, but her footsteps stall as she passes the doorway to the living room.

“Ben?”

He grunts in response and she makes her way in. She doesn’t ask to join him, just climbs on the couch and pulls his arm around her so she can settle against his shoulder. It shouldn’t bother him - they’ve done this more times than he could count - but for some reason now, he stiffens.

He’s thinking about his roommate touching her in a much more intimate way.

The hot swirling has returned and Ben has no idea what to make of it. He’s never been jealous before, never wanted her for himself before, but now he…

If his churning stomach is any indication, that’s exactly what he wants now and the question is why.

“You’re quiet tonight,” she nudges him gently. “Are you okay?”

“Where’s Simon?”

“Sleeping,” she nudges again and starts to murmur something about the covers being stolen. Like he wants to hear that.

“You woke me up,” he snaps, childishly. Leslie tenses under his arm and even in nothing but the blue glow from the television he sees her cheeks color.

“With - ”

“Yes. The...we share a wall.”

“Sorry,” she pats his knee. “I”m very sorry, we’ll keep it down.”

“Do that,” he shifts away from her and hopes it goes unnoticed. It doesn’t; she frowns, so he adds, “It’s not going to be a regular thing, right?”

Leslie turns to face him fully now. “What...dating him?”

“You, sleeping here.”

“I…” her eyes widen and her jaw clenches. He feels the urge to press his lips there, to tell her to stop grinding her teeth even though it’s his fault she is. _What the hell is happening?_

“Do you...not want me to?”

“Not unless you’re going to pitch in for rent or utilities or something, because it’s not cheap and there’s no way you should…get to use our water for free if you’re going to be here all the time.”

Her face tells him he’s being petty.

He is. He’s not good at dealing with his emotions and petty is what comes out.

She’s livid.

“Are...are you serious?”

“You take forever in the shower.”

“You don’t want me to sleepover because I might use some of your water? What’s the going rate, Ben? How much do I owe you for tonight? Do I have to pay for using the TV or is that allowed because you turned it on?”

“I’m just being practical - ”

“I sleepover one night and you’re making it out like I’ve been squatting here for months and eating all your...cupcakes,” she throws up her hands dramatically. “Or something!”

Ben sighs as her whole face goes red.

“Do you not want me to sleepover?”

“Not particularly,” it’s out before he can stop it. Leslie shoves him in the arm and pulls herself to her feet.

“You’re being a big, huge, _massive_ jerk right now!”

He turns to respond, but she’s already back in Simon’s room and the door is clicking shut.

*****

The next morning he finds her making Simon and Chris breakfast - blueberry pancakes. Ben loves her blueberry pancakes. Her cheeks are flushed from the heat of the stove, her sunny curls contrasting starkly with the green of her t-shirt. She’s pretty - beautiful - he’s never not thought that.

Leslie ignores him and doesn’t offer him any and Simon and Chris glance between them.

“Are you guys fighting?”

“No,” they reply in perfect unison. Another look is exchanged and Leslie pushes up on her toes and kisses his roommate, whose glasses bump her face. Her smile is forced when they pull away, but Ben doesn’t think Simon can tell as much.

He doesn’t see her for a while after that.

In their mutual classes (which are few and far between now, because the only history courses he gets to take are electives) she sits at the front and doesn’t save him a seat. He’s stubborn enough to refuse to try and talk to her to make up because he really lets himself believe he was being logical and valid and budget conscious.

Deep down, Ben knows his reaction was totally irrational and idiotic. Deep down, Ben knows the time away from her is time he needs to think about what came out of him that night.

Andy’s sprawled on the couch when Ben walks in and he looks like he’s been eating food off a frisbee again. They do have plates, Ben is sort of a neat freak (at least about food-related things) and Chris is always tidying and Simon’s in the middle…

And Andy eats food off of whatever surface he finds first.

“Dude, you just missed Leslie.”

She probably made a point to “just miss” him. She’s basically got his class schedule memorized, as he does hers.

“Damn,” he throws his bag down and sinks on the chair beside the couch. Andy sits up and lifts an eyebrow.

“You guys are totally fighting.”

“Why do you say that?”

“She called you _Wyatt_ and said to ask how you’re doing during the great water shortage of ‘96. Wait, are we having a water shortage?” His eyes bulged out. “Should I stop showering?”

Ben drops his head into his hands.

“We’re fighting.”

“Noooooo,” Andy leaps up and shakes his shoulders. “You and Leslie are like....Bert and Ernie, you can’t fight!”

“Arrrrgh,” Ben rubs his face. “I was being an ass and I don’t know why.”

He also doesn’t know why he’s telling Andy of all people, but it’s a weird week.

“Because she’s dating Simon?”

Ben lifts his head.

The thing about Andy Dwyer is, once in a blue moon he’ll be surprisingly perceptive. Ben licks his lips.

“I...I don’t know, honestly. I don’t know why it’s bugging me so much.”

“Because you love her.”

Ben nearly chokes on his spit. “I...what?”

“Dude, you super love her. It’s so obvious. That’s probably why it’s bothering you, because Simon totally sees it too and he’s dating her anyway. It would suck pretty bad if my roommate was banging the girl I loved _knowing_ I loved her.”

 _Wow_.

“I...is it...it’s obvious?”

“ _Super_ obvious. This must be driving you insane, them dating.”

“It is,” he swallows, trying to process Andy’s words. Leslie’s his friend and has been for years so he’s not sure if...could that...could that be it?

“Youuuuuuu love Leeeeeslie,” Andy sing songs with a laugh. “Dude, seriously, you need to tell her. She’s the coolest and she totally loves you too.”

“How do you - ”

“A-Cakes.”

“Oh,” Ben rubs his cheek. “What’d...what’d Ann say?”

“Simon’s been over a lot, but Leslie’s been acting weirder than usual and she’s sleeping like...never. Ann pulled an all nighter for her test last night and she’s pretty sure Leslie was up the whole time and Simon was snoring or…”

“Does…” Ben takes a deep breath, knowing he has no right to ask. “Does she uh...she’s...does she…uh...does - ”

“Dude.”

“Does she like him? Is...I mean, I know she likes him, but is she really into him…”

“You’re being a doofus; don’t make me put you in a headlock until you tell her how you feel.”

Ben sighs, he doesn’t know how he feel, despite what Andy says.

Maybe a headlock would make him figure it out.

*****

He’s jealous, not for Leslie’s time but for Leslie herself. He’s angry - actually angry - he’s had to bear witness to them kissing and hear her laughing through the wall while she pretends he doesn’t exist. Every time he sees Simon brush his hands over her hips Ben wants to snap his friend’s fingers back and tell him to stop touching her.

And he can’t...don’t even get him started on hearing them fucking. For one whole week, while he works through his feelings, Ben almost flies into a blind rage the two times he comes home from class and hears them. The mattress, the squeaking, the light thumping against the wall.

He’s never been irrationally jealous before. It’s unnerving.

And he kind of hates Simon right now for doing this, suspecting how Ben feels and doing it anyway. He didn’t even ask him…

Ugh, it’s just kind of a mess.

He’s at the kitchen table, working through an assignment on balance sheets when Leslie emerges, fully dressed and sparkling from nothing, making him want to hold her curves. Simon’s right behind her, but he makes a beeline for the bathroom.

“Hi.”

“I’m going, I didn’t think you’d be back this early. Also note that I’m not using your food or water or even peeing, even though that’s very bad hygienically and I’ll probably get a UTI or something.”

Ben pulls a face.

“No,” he rubs his forehead. “No, I’m sorry, I- ”

Instantly, she closes the distance between them in three swift steps and throws her arms around his neck breathlessly. That’s all she was waiting for and just like that he’s forgiven.

He doesn’t deserve her.

“You were being an ass.”

“I was.”

“I hate fighting with you.”

“I miss you,” she pushes her nose into his neck and they both sigh and hold each other; her hair smells of mint and Ben inhales deeply. Simon comes out of the bathroom and lifts an eyebrow.

“You’re done fighting, finally?”

There’s something in his tone that makes Ben bristle, but he can’t quite place it.

“Yes,” Leslie pulls back. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

She gives his hand a little squeeze as she pulls away and the brick in his stomach shrinks.

When she smiles over her shoulder at him on her way out the door Ben suddenly knows Andy’s right. He’s in love with his friend and she’s dating his roommate.

Well, that fucking sucks.

*****

He hates knowing she’s over and what they’re doing in Simon’s room, but he loves waking up to her smiling face and a warm hug. He hates seeing them kiss, but he loves when she comes out to watch TV with him after her boyfriend’s fallen asleep. He hates watching Simon squirt whipped cream in mouth, but he loves her pancakes.

He hates that she’s not with him, but he loves seeing her happy.

And the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes _how right_ Andy is and the harder in love with her he falls. The more he lets himself feel what’s been under the surface this entire time, the more unbearable and torturous this whole thing is.

He doesn’t count on Simon yelling at him. He comes out one morning, Leslie’s reading his term paper at the kitchen table and Ben’s making coffee. She announces, finally, she has to go get ready for class and gives Ben a quick hug before pecking her boyfriend goodbye.

“Um,” Simon turns to Ben as soon as she leaves and rubs his forehead, pushing his glasses back on his nose. “Can...I need you to stop.”

Ben lifts his head. “Stop what?”

“Stop...can you just...leave us alone when we’re here? Because first there was that stupid fight that she was upset about the whole time...and now it’s...my girlfriend would rather come out and talk to you about homework than stay in bed with me.”

“She’s...my friend. My...one of my best friends,” Ben feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “She’s…”

“My girlfriend, though, bro,” Simon gives a little shrug. “You guys can talk or whatever, but when she’s here she’s my girlfriend so...can you not?”

“Not what?” Ben growls, Andy’s unknowing words of wisdom coming back to him. He is pissed because Simon knows how Ben feels about her, according to Andy. And if Simon knows that, he knows…

This, all of this, is sort of killing him.

Simon throws up his hands. “Forget it.”

“No, tell me, what am I doing?”

“Monopolizing her.”

Ben blinks. “I’m sorry, how is it my fault that after you’re done doing whatever,” he flails in the direction of the bedroom. “Which drives me into the common areas because, like I want to hear _that_...and then she comes out and we talk. How is that my fault?”

“You know what you’re doing.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Simon throws up his hands and turns on his heel. “Whatever, man.”

He heads back to his room and Ben kicks a leg of the table.

*****

Two weeks later, Ben’s sitting in front of the TV trying to focus on Star Trek and not think about the “big date” Simon’s been getting ready for all evening when the phone rings.

He’s not sure what to do about Leslie. Tell her while she’s with someone else and seemingly happy? Wait out their relationship and hope he gets his chance then? It’s hard to know what’s right, but he doesn’t want to hurt her.

And he does want her to know.

Andy’s with him and Chris is out running and Ben pauses the movie and answers it.

It’s Ann Perkins for him.

“Tell your _friend_ , Simon, he’s an asshole!” Ann snarls, voice dark and threatening and anything but shrill. Ben flinches, but his heart starts pounding because it obviously has to do with Leslie, who Simon’s supposed to be taking out tonight.

But...Simon had made it seem like everything was fine. He was humming when he’d walked in the door, asking if anyone had an iron because he had a big date that evening.

“What...I thought they had plans?”

“ _He_ has,” Ann snaps. “He came over, they were...they had sex and then he checked his email and Samantha, this hot redhead he’s apparently had a thing for emailed him about…”

Ben doesn’t hear the rest, he knows how this conversation ends. He tosses the phone at Andy and his body moves without his brain’s permission to his roommate’s door. He opens it without knocking. Simon’s in front of the mirror, tying his tie with a dopey grin on his face when he glances over.

“Hey dude, what’s up?”

“Uh, nothing,” Ben’s words sound shaky to his own ears and adrenaline is raging through his veins. “How uh...are you excited about your...date?”

Simon groans in a really gross way. “Fuck yeah. Don’t wait up, if you know what I’m saying.”

“Ha ha, yeah,” Ben rubs his mouth and steps in. “Leslie’s excited?”

“Oh…” Simon blanches a little and turns to face him. “We uh...we broke up, actually.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ben digs his nail into his palm to try and keep himself calm. “When? You didn’t mention anything.”

He hears a commotion in the hallway and Andy and Chris are suddenly behind Ben.

“Oh, uh,” Simon claws at his cheek. “Last week actually.”

“Ben,” The word’s soft coming from Chris, but Ben’s seeing red.

“Last week,” Ben repeats and licks his lips. “So you didn’t go over there this afternoon, fuck her and then break up with her ten minutes later when Sam emailed you to ask you out?”

Simon lowers his eyes. “You...okay, look, Leslie’s cute and everything but it’s _Sam_ and I’ve been wanting to...she’s just so hot and I’ve been trying to get her to go out with me for a year and you know everyone wants to date her and if I said no - ”

Chris yelps as Ben’s fist collides with Simon’s cheekbone and he goes stumbling back into the wall. Simon pushes himself upright and leaps forward to retaliate, but then Andy’s between both of them and his hand’s in the center of Ben’s chest.

“WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE?”

“What the…” Ben throws up his hands, ignoring the searing pain in his right one. “You gave me crap for...and then you just...what the _fuck_ yourself. How could you do that! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Take a walk,” Andy spins to face Ben, nudging him out of the room as Simon shoves away. “Take a walk, Ben,” he edges him towards the door as Chris moves forward, obviously conflicted. In the end, he seems to decide someone should see if Simon needs medical attention as Andy pushes Ben through the hallway and out onto the porch steps. It’s not quite dark yet, but rain clouds make it seem later than it is.

“Oh my god,” Ben starts to shake with jitters and yup, his hand hurts like a fucker. His knees buckle and he asks if it’s broken.

“That was _awesome_ ,” Andy cuts him off. “Who cares if it’s broken, dude, he _super_ deserved that and now you can go tell Leslie you love her.”

“Uh, well, I care if my hand is broken. That seems like something I don’t want to be true.”

Andy slaps the shoulder of his injured arm and Ben squawks. He lets himself be pulled upright and Andy takes him around the block in an easy stroll. They say nothing, but his breathing evens out and his bones are definitely cracked (is that possible?), but the longer he walks the more he agrees with Andy. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Punching Simon was worth it.

Simon’s gone by the time they return, on his date with Sam. Chris has a beer waiting and ice for his hand.

“Ann called back,” Chris informs them. “That is literally the meanest way to break up with a person I have ever heard. Leslie is so sweet, I can’t believe he would be so cruel.”

Ben’s falling into a chair and not speaking, letting his need for beer do the talking. Andy shrugs.

“He’s been wanting to bone Sam since forever. Also, he’s kind of a dick. I’m super glad you punched him. Did I say that? That’s basically the coolest you’ve ever been.”

Ben snorts derisively and pinches the bridge of his nose.  

Someone orders a pizza, Ben isn’t sure who, and he’s on his third slice when there’s a knock at the door. Andy goes to get it and then calls for Ben, a twitch of urgency in his tone.

Leslie.

She’s in the doorway, resembling a drowned rat. Ben hadn’t even noticed the rain had started in his daze. He forgets the pain in his hand and crosses the distance between them.

“Ann told you?” She chokes out. Her eyes are bloodshot and her teeth are chattering. Of course they are, she’s only wearing a t-shirt and leggings, like she ran out the door so fast she forgot a coat.

Ben nods slowly as Andy slips away with a weirdly girlish squeal.

“You punched him.”

“Uh, yeah,” he lets her take his hand, moving back so she’s out of the cold. His other hand slides down her arm. “He deserved it.”

He closes the door behind her and moves his hand to cup the back of her neck. His thumb swipes moisture from beneath her eyes that’s warm, unlike the rest of her.

“You punched him,” she repeats.

“I did.”

“Why?”

Ben takes a deep breath.

“Because he hurt you and... I was crazy jealous of him and then he didn’t even realize what he…”

“Ben.”

He swallows a lump in his throat.

“It has been, uh, brought to my attention that I...I am very much in love with you.”

Her blue eyes are already bright and shining and that makes them bulge.

“You are?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” she tugs on her bottom lip and Ben suddenly wishes he was her teeth. When Leslie moves to pull him closer his breath catches in his throat and he leans her back against the door, holding her cold and wet body tightly against him.

“I love you,” he dips down and kisses her earlobe, thumb sliding against her neck while another stays locked around her waist. They’re both shaking, her from the cold and him from her.

Ben moves to her jaw. “I really, really love you, it’s all I’ve been thinking about for the last...month, basically. And um,” he winces. “Do...do you...how do you - ”

Her lips are on his and they’re easily the hottest part of her, her tongue flicks against the curl of his own and stretches up to meet him. She tastes like whipped cream, which suggests she was eating sadness waffles.

“I can’t believe you punched him,” she whispers through a smile. Ben lifts her as Andy comes running back into the room.

“LESLIE, YOU SHOULD’VE SEEN IT, IT WAS SO BADASS!”

Ben sighs and sets her back down. Leslie cackles.

“I’ll bet,” she kisses his arm. “Andy, it is amazing to see you and we should talk a lot later, but…” she tilts her eyes up. “Can we go to your room?”

Ben almost swallows his tongue at the way she’s looking at him.  

“Ye-yeah, let’s do that.”

*****

It starts with more talking than kissing. Ben gives her a bathrobe he got as a Christmas gift that he’s never worn, Leslie strips down to her underwear and Ben tries not to trip as he takes her clothes to put in the dryer. He comes back and they lie on his bed, lips brushing occasionally as Ben confesses everything, including why he got so upset.

She’s Leslie, so she doesn’t hold it against him. She just smiles and promises she understands.

At some point the kisses grow longer and the talking less frequent and by the time Chris and Andy call goodnight Ben’s buried himself between her thighs, her soft, breathy moans reverberating around the room. Sometime between discarding the condom and Leslie whispering she loves him too for the tenth time, they curl in a ball, the icy rain pattering against his window and the house blissfully silent.

Ben snuggles closer instinctively, rubbing his nose into her neck and they sleep, peaceful and content, his heart full and his body spent.

She loves him too.

*****

It’s very late when the front door opens, but it wakes Ben, who tightens his arm around her.

The knock at _his door_ startles him and Ben kisses her shoulder as he peels away. It’s all surreal and he’s kind of in a daze realizing he just had sex with his oldest friend and she’s asleep, naked, in his bed.

It’s Simon. Alone.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Simon folds his arms, his eye blackened now. “It uh...did not go...great with Sam.”

“Right.”

“I deserved it. The punching.”

“Yup, you did.”

“I’ll call Leslie and apologize in the morning.”

“Good.”

“And hope she… can...will take me back, I guess.”

“Right,” Ben bites down on a smile. “Well uh, good - ”

“Wait,” Simon pushes on the door and points to Leslie’s black, cotton bra on his floor. “Do you...have a girl over?”

“Mhmmm.”

“Broooooo,” Simon slaps his arm. “Nice. Is it Cindy…”

“No,” Leslie tugs on Ben’s hand, appearing in his t-shirt, her hair mussed and her lips raw and fuck, if that isn’t the hottest thing he’s ever seen. “It’s me and we’re going to bed now; I don’t want to take you back.”

Simon’s still staring in disbelief as Ben closes the door in his face. Leslie cackles when he throws her on the bed and climbs on top of her.

“Could you really hear us?”

“Yes.”

The devilish glint in her eye makes his stomach clench, but pleasantly this time. She pushes Ben onto his back and climbs on top of him.

“Good.”

He’s not sure if that’s why she moans his name - very loudly - as she rides him so hard he can’t see straight, but honestly, Ben hopes it isn’t.

He doesn’t want to make Simon jealous, he wants to make her come tightening against him with his thumb on her clit.

But if, during that time, Simon ends up hearing some of it, Ben won’t complain.

The walls are thin, he can't help it.


End file.
